IDW Media Holdings has reported an operating loss of $1.8 million from the first quarter of 2017, a significant decline in revenue from the IDW Publishing division — which publishes IDW’s licensed Transformers and other Hasbro comics — as well as its IDW Games, IDW Entertainment and CTM divisions. However, it plans to raise $10 million from shareholders in order to finance further development of IDW Entertainment, which develops and produces TV shows and movies.

Although this isn’t a good sign for IDW, it should not be taken as a sign of the end times that indicates the company is about to be bought out or shut down; in all likelihood, the company will continue to publish its Transformers titles. However, the significantly decreased sales of Transformers comics compared to early sales of More than Meets the Eye and Robots in Disguise from 2012 means that there’s a big chance that IDW will be re-assessing its Hasbro Universe line to consolidate sales and increase profits; a “soft reboot” could well be in the universe’s near future.

Jo, aka "Broadside", had her first experience with Transformers watching Transformers: Cybertron on CITV, but only really got involved in the fandom through the IDW comics. When not posting on the Allspark, she can sometimes be found contributing to the Transformers and IDW Hasbro wikis... sometimes.